Air propelling device



Aug. 7, 1934. w. R. MOBLEY AIR PROPELLING DEVICE Filed Nov. 12, 1950 2Sheets-Sheet l Aug... 7, 1934. w. R. MOBLEY AIR PROPELLING DEVICE FiledNov. 12, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 9mm Em w 1; a

Patented Aug. 7, 1934 PATENT orrics AIR PROPELLING DEVICE William RobertMobley, Miami, Fla., assignor of one-half to F. W. Bradsby, Louisville,Ky.

Application November 12, 1930, Serial No. 495,092

5 Claims. (01. 170-468) The invention or improvements herein describedrelate to an air propelling device andhas for its object. to provide amore efiicient means of air propulsion than is afforded by propellers jaccording to the present art.

The objects of this invention are accomplished as described in thefollowing specification and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view.

Fig. 2 is a side View having a part removed to more clearly display partof the interior.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the outer casing insection, together with air stream through the device indicated byarrows.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views inwhich 1 is an outer casing provided with an end plate or the like 2wherein an opening is arranged as at 3. A part in the form of a suitablehub 4 is located within the outer casing 1. The hub 4 is provided withtwo or more inclined air propelling blades 7 of such radial extent thatthey will extend from the hub 4 to the outer casing as at 6 in Fig. 1 atwhich point they are secured.

The hub 4 is of suitable diameter and is illustrated as of about thesame diameter as the opening 3 and in Figs. 2 and 3 is shown as of halfthe longitudinal width of the outer casing 1.

The entire device is mounted on an axle, shaft or the like, wherefrom orwhereat it may be rotated as a whole. I may house the power plant withinthe hub 4.

I term the part 4 a hub, it being the central part of the device towhich the inner parts of the blades are secured, but it is notordinarily of solid construction but is shown more like a hollow drum,and this hollow construction would be for the said purpose of housingthe power element within the propeller. If the power is to be applied tothe said shaft at a point without the propeller in the usual manner itwould not be necessary to make the hub hollow but its front plate a, apart of which is seen in section in Fig. 3, would suffice to prevent theair from passing rearwardly near the shaft and to compel it to pass atand near the periphery of the device within the casing 1. Such platewould also suffice to receive on its rear face the unbalancedatmospheric pressure, which is exerted at points within the blastindicated by the arrows 9 in Fig. 2. This atmospheric pressure isunbalanced because the air is removed from in front of the plate 4 asshown by the arrows 8 (Fig. 3). Said atmospheric pressure at the rear ofthe propeller gives strong for- Z ward propulsion. The diameter of thehub relative to the casing may be varied to obtain the above mentionedresults.

An air screw or helix, according to the present art, revolves in theopen air and builds up considerable resistance in front of its center asit advances in a forward direction.

According to the device herein described and with reference being made,particularly to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be observed that the inclinedsurfaces, vanes or blades 7 are shielded from the 55-; open air and thatthe air stream drawn to the device as it revolves as a whole must enterthe opening 3 and be deflected or drawn to the outer periphery of theinside of the device by the blades 7, as indicated by the arrows 8,after which it 70,; is forced out of the device, as indicated by arrows9.

When in rotation the blades 7 of the device will grasp, by their inneredges which extend forward of the hub 4, the body of air which is infront of the hub and within the casing, and will propel said airradially, and thence rearwardly through the annular space between thehub and the casing, and by this action will cause a suction at theopening 3 which will create a vac- 8Q uum in a small area immediately infront of the device relieving all resistance, thus causing the device tobe drawn forward towards the vacuum, while at the same time thedischarge of air from the blades 7 creates a pressure forcing the deviceforward. Due to the shielding of the blades, noise from operation willbe greatly decreased.

If the casing be omitted the air will not be propelled so directlyrearward as shown by the arrows 9 but will be propelled rearward andsomewhat radially. I do not confine myself to the angle shown, in thearrangement of the blades, and if the degree of the angle relative tothe axial line be increased the blades will be of greater length fromtheir front to their rear edges.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of myinvention and the manner in which I propose to perform same, what Iclaim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. A propeller comprising a peripheral casing, a hub arranged at therear part of said casing so as to leave around it an annular air spaceand a rear discharge opening and an air-receiving space in front of thehub and within the casing, a front wall extending inward from the casingand having an opening in front of said air-receiving space, and diagonalblades arranged in the annular space between the casing and hub andextending forward around said air-receiving space.

2. A propeller comprising an outer cylindrical casing, a hub memberarranged within said casing and at the rear part of the same so as toobstruct the passage of air excepting within and near the inner surfaceof said casing, said hub having a peripheral wall parallel with theouter casing and extending from the rear of the propeller toward thefront thereof, and blades inclined to the axis of the propeller andextending from said hub to said casing and from front to rear of saidcasing, and a front end plate arranged near the peripheral part of thepropeller and leaving an opening in front of said hub for the collectionof air.

3. A propeller comprising a hub, blade members attached to said hub atan angle to the axis of rotation, a casing enclosing said hub and blademembers, said casing being provided with a front wall having an openingat the center of the front end and an opening around the outer peripheryof said hub at the rear end, said blade members extending along theinner face of the casing and along the outer face of said hub.

4. A propeller comprising a peripheral casing, air-obstructing meanswithin the casing for preventing rearward passage of air through saidcasing excepting at the outer part of the propeller, an annular frontwall extending inward from the casing and leaving a large centralopening for the entrance of air, and blades arranged between and fromfront to rear along the casing and said. air-obstructing means andinclined to remove air from in front of the propeller.

5. A propeller having an outer casing through which the air may becaused to pass from front to rear of the propeller, a front end plate ofannular form extending inward from the front part of said casing andhaving a front air collecting and entrance opening, a hub arrangedwithin the rear part of said casing and extending forward into the sameand leaving an air exit opening between said hub and casing, and bladesinclined sidewise and fixed to and arranged along the inner side of thecasing and outer side of said hub.

WILLIAM ROBERT MOBLEY.

